<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Calling for Rain by Curiousscarletteyes</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22760686">Calling for Rain</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Curiousscarletteyes/pseuds/Curiousscarletteyes'>Curiousscarletteyes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>No. 6 (Anime &amp; Manga), No. 6 - All Media Types, No. 6 - Asano Atsuko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragons, M/M, Secret Valentine's Day Gift Exchange 2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 11:47:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,468</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22760686</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Curiousscarletteyes/pseuds/Curiousscarletteyes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where rain no longer exists and water is rationed, Shion is the only one who is willing to speak of the old myths and question the way his society runs. Upon being seen as a threat, he is exiled from his region of No.6 and forced to walk across the desert, left to the harsh elements and a brush with death. Before his travels and life come to an end, he encounters Nezumi, a mysterious being that is unlike any other. The two find that they share something in common and before he knows it, he ends up staying with Nezumi.</p><p>However, there is something strange about his new companion and the closer Shion gets to uncovering the truth, the more guarded his Nezumi becomes.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nezumi &amp; Shion (No. 6), Nezumi/Shion (No. 6)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Calling for Rain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/glorifiedscapegoat/gifts">glorifiedscapegoat</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was written for the Secret Valentine's Exchange on the No.6 Discord! </p><p>Happy Belated Valentine's Day, Mira! I hope you enjoy this! There will definitely be more to come in the future. You've been so kind to me and I truly appreciate all that we've shared! I hope things get brighter for you this year.</p><p>Also a big shoutout to WhiteEevee and MilesLibertatis for helping me brainstorm and listening to me ramble, lol.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>         Long ago, before Shion was born, it was said that water fell in plentiful amounts from the sky. This water was enough to sustain all life on earth, including the animals, fauna, and people. The people of Old had called this phenomena rain. Sometimes, rain would be accompanied by loud booms that shook the very foundation of the land, known as thunder. Other times it came with streaks of light illuminating both earth and sky, known as lightning.</p><p>         When all of those occurrences melded together as one, they were called storms, and were said to be a terrifying and humbling display of power.</p><p>         They were the will of the Dragon Gods.</p><p>         The Dragon Gods were mighty forces of nature, attuned to different affinities, responsible for the creation of the world, as well as everything that happened upon it.</p><p>         However, there came a time when those storms suddenly ceased. A long period of dryness followed, unlike any had ever known before. The earth began to wilt, robbed of its most important resource. All living creatures appeared to have been doomed and slowly began to perish. Upon seeing the suffering of all that lived under their watchful eyes, six water gods descended to the earth to spare the people who worshipped them, creating areas in which they may live and survive, able to access the water they needed.</p><p>         People built towns in the regions the gods occupied and assembled communities around the sources of water upon which they could live. With a population devastated from the lack of water and a deteriorating world, those left behind had abolished wars between these regions. They all agreed that a ban of conflict was necessary for the survival of their kind. From the past, they had learned that warfare only caused strife. Spilling one another’s blood was a blatant disregard of all they had been taught and given by the gods, endangering the existence of humankind itself. As a means to escape their own annihilation, all towns and regions learned to work in harmony. To create cohesion, each embraced a number for its name―from No. 1 to No. 6.</p><p>         These six regions became one nation. They knew to respect one another’s similarities and differences, knowing now was the time to cast aside old grudges and begin anew. There was to be no corruption, no tax, or restrictions on the resources that everyone needed, water the most precious and necessary resource of all.</p><p>         And yet, somehow, walls had been built around the towns. Rulers had been appointed and people appeared to forget all that was agreed upon. The Dragon Gods who had grown fond of the people they helped were betrayed, trapped, forced to work and bend at the will of their captors. Now, only those who were deemed worthy were given free access to water. Those who were not… were forced to drink what they were given.</p><p>         Water rationing had become a normal incident among these societies.</p><p>         Upon growing up in No.6, Shion could not help but wonder: would the ideas upon which their communities were built ever have withstood the passing of time?  Perhaps people were bound to be corrupt when given too much power.</p><p>         Shion had not been afraid to question their way of life in No.6. He was the only one who dared to speak of the old myths that the townspeople had abandoned. He was the only one brave enough to doubt and challenge the way things were, regardless of the warning he had received from those who loved him most. He could not stand to sit and watch people die from a lack of water. Because of his ways, he was exiled. He was forced to walk upon the sand the rested just outside of their walls, the eternal dunes a place where people were sent to be erased. People who were forced out of society often met their doom. He knew of no one that had ever returned.</p><p>
  <strong>***</strong>
</p><p>         Shion had been granted a small pack of food and a single bottle of water for his travels. He had managed to ration his supplies over the course of two days, yet the sun was relentless in its barrage of heat, refusing to cease shining for any mortal. The Dragon God of the sun rose and fell each day, taking turns with its twin, the moon, which cast just as much light across the earth, yet lacked all warmth. The sand below him could not hold warmth once deprived of it and so, he was greeted with extreme heat during the day and freezing temperatures at night.</p><p>         He knew that praying to the gods in the lands of the forgotten was futile, yet he did so anyway, hoping that one might take pity on him.</p><p>         He waited for an answer that never came.</p><p>         The Gods were not known for their tendency to be voluble.</p><p>         Shion continued his endless trek across the immense dunes, shielding his face and eyes when the wind blew sand in his direction as if urging him to return. His legs began to feel heavy the farther he walked, and he knew that if he conceded to his body’s yearning to lay down and sleep, this would all be over. Dying, sleeping—for that was all dying was—a sleep that would end all the agony and heartache he had been given by life.</p><p>         What would his mother have said to him now?</p><p>         If Safu had been beside him, would she have pushed him on, despite how exhausted she would be too?</p><p>         He had very nearly settled on giving in when his dark eyes settled on something unusual. It took a moment for them to clear from their blurriness, but when he made out what he saw in the distance, he stopped in his tracks.</p><p>         A small oasis.</p><p>         A mirage?</p><p>         It had to be.</p><p>         In No.6 he had been taught the symptoms of dehydration since he was just a young child. Thirst. Dry mouth. Headaches. Muscle cramps. If one was severely dehydrated, they would experience dry skin, dizziness, increased heart rate and breathing, irritability. Confusion. Surely his time was approaching.</p><p>         Despite this, he pushed himself onward to reach the oasis, knowing it would be his last and only hope, nearly sinking to his hands and knees along the way, managing to reach the strange location after what seemed an eternity. Trees and lush greens greeted him, appearing to extend farther than he could comprehend. A bright spring with clear water rewarded his determination, clear and cool when he dipped his fingers into the surface. He nearly fell forward into it but managed not to, knowing he would have no strength to swim out.</p><p>         Had the gods heard his prayers? Had they shown him pity and allowed him a place of respite? Or had they ended his suffering early, and his soul no longer resided in the world of the living?</p><p>         Unable to determine the truth, he eagerly drank the water. As it moved through him, he was surprised to find himself abnormally well and hydrated, having regained his strength, feeling better than he had even within the confines of No.6. He hardly had time to push himself back to his feet when a shadow appeared beside him.</p><p>         Startled, the traveler had turned, his gaze immediately catching striking grey eyes that seemed to pierce through his very soul. Shion drew in a bated breath, all the air having left his lungs at the sight of the beautiful stranger. He- it had taken him a few moments to realize that he was indeed a male- had long hair, ending at his waist, the color like the sky at dusk, strands appearing as smooth as silk. His skin was flawless, glossy and light in color, despite the sun that scorched above them. He held a presence unlike any that Shion had ever known, the very air seeming to shift and twist around him.</p><p>         He was certain now that his soul had been put to an eternal rest. People like this did not walk upon the realm of the living.</p><p>         Before he could formulate any string of sentences, words spilled past the stranger’s lips.</p><p>         “Don’t move.” His voice was lilting and low, a command he could not have disobeyed if he wished. It had filled the space between them, but if Shion wasn’t mistaken, it resounded within his head as well.</p><p>         Soft fingertips brushed his cheek, slipping down to his throat, pressing against it. He remained still, enraptured both by the appearance and presence of this heavenly stranger. Shion was not sure what would happen, glancing at his light eyes, trying to determine if they truly were light or dark, appearing to be both at once, feeling as if he were sinking into them the longer he stared. He quickly averted his own dull brown eyes and exhaled when the hand fell away, his skin cold in the sudden absence of the other’s flesh.</p><p>         “You’re alive.” Shion could have listened to him speak forever. He didn’t even have the capacity to consider what he had meant, why those were the first words he had spoken.</p><p>         “Wh-who—”</p><p>         “I should be asking you the same thing, considering you just drank my water. You are either incredibly dull or extremely brave to walk onto my land and steal from me.”</p><p>         He was neither. He had been desperate.</p><p>         Taking water in any capacity was a crime. In No.6, such things could lead to a death penalty if it was a repeated offense. The first time was forgiven, the offender allowed no more than a warning and slap on the wrist. The second resulted in the loss of something important. Food. A family member. A limb. Most never attempted anything further. Those who did- received a fate worse than he had.</p><p>         “I’m sorry.” Shion apologized, unable to help but notice how small his voice sounded in comparison to the stranger who stood before him. “I know water is sacred. I was dehydrated and we’re in the middle of the desert. I did not expect to find anyone else out here. It’s impossible for most people to last more than a day or two. Most—”</p><p>         “Die?”</p><p>Shion nodded, swallowing at the truth. He nearly had as well. “It should be impossible that this exists here. There are only six main sources of water. Without rain, there is no water to fall and build like this.”</p><p>         Something flashed in those endless grey eyes then, something that Shion couldn’t identify.</p><p>         “You know of rain?”</p><p>         “I do, and. . .” Shion quieted for a moment, realizing. “You do as well?” Nobody else knew of the old myths. If they had, they would never speak them aloud.</p><p>         The stranger laughed, quick, short, yet it sounded more like a scoff to his ears. “I know more than you ever will in your entire lifetime. But I’m glad that some things haven’t been forgotten.”</p><p>         “I can’t believe it…I’ve never met anyone else who knows about rain. Do you know about lightning and thunder as well? What about storms?”</p><p>         His companion’s eyebrow raised, a hint of amusement in his expression. “Why wouldn’t I?”</p><p>         Shion’s eyes grew brighter, interest piqued. “What else do you know? Maybe you know of things I don’t. I would love to learn.”</p><p>         Those emotionless eyes that emanated a fierce power stared at him, unblinking. "You're strange."</p><p>         "Why would you say that?"</p><p>         "You traveled across the desert from an unknown destination and nearly perished, and your first concern is whether or not I know of myths that you don’t?"</p><p>         "Oh. I’m asking you all of these things but I haven't introduced myself. I’m Shion.”</p><p>         There was that eyebrow raise once more. “Like the flower?”</p><p>         "Yeah. My mother is fond of plants and fauna. What about you?"</p><p>         "Nezumi."</p><p>         "What?"</p><p>         “My name."</p><p>         "Nezumi... that's not right."</p><p>         "Not right?"</p><p>         He could not quite explain it, but the name did not quite fit the young man. He was different. Wild. Something untamed, with a spirit that seemed to yield to no one. Maybe that was why he was out here living on his own, away from everyone else. Or maybe there was another reason…</p><p>         "Do you always leave yourself wide open? Or is it normal for you to have zero sense of danger?" Nezumi continued, folding his arms. “You steal water without any danger or fear of the consequences. I should end your life right here.”</p><p>         "I do feel danger. And fear, too. I'm afraid of dangerous things and I don't want anything to do with them. I'm also not naive enough to believe that you would just let me go. But…”</p><p>         “Then why?”</p><p>         He had been correct. Why wasn’t Shion running? Why was he not falling to his knees, begging for his life to be spared when he had worked so hard to get here and survive. He could be sent back out into the desert, or have his life stolen from him at the sudden use of a hidden weapon.</p><p>         “Well, if you were big and aggressive, I may have already started running. But you are beautiful and slim. And I feel a strange connection to you.”</p><p>         Nezumi appeared unmoved. “Maybe you are dying. That water seems to have done nothing for you.”</p><p>         “I’m perfectly fine, I promise. You’re an exile too, right?”</p><p>         “Excuse me?” His eyes had narrowed dangerously, a threat lingering in his words.</p><p>         “I was cast away from my home because I refused to listen to everything I was told. I spoke openly about the old myths, about rain, and wanted to know why water was rationed when the god within our region could make endless amounts of it. If you’re here and you know of rain, I’m assuming you have done something similar.”</p><p>         There was silence for a long time before Nezumi seemed to give in. “I did not do what you have, but I was banished for other reasons.”</p><p>         “So we’re similar.”</p><p>         “In a trivial way.”</p><p>         Shion wasn’t sure why but he grinned, the small hint of joy disappearing when his eyes moved past Nezumi to the desert. “I will leave if that’s what you intend as my punishment. Without a home to return to, there is nothing left for me but the sand and inescapable circumstance of death. If I leave, I will never see you again.”</p><p>         Nezumi’s gaze finally moved, settling on the horizon for a moment, his expression revealing nothing. When his eyes met Shion’s once more, he seemed to have come to some sort of decision.</p><p>         “No. I don’t intend for you to leave as punishment. I have other things in mind.”</p><p>         Whatever they were, Shion decided he would endure anything to remain at Nezumi’s side.</p><p>         Living and struggling were a much better option than dying in agony.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>